Winning a Claim against State Farm Insurance

When you read about accident and injury cases, you come across countless references to “insurance companies,” or “the insurance company.” It is easy to think that all insurance companies will act the same way during a case. However, some major insurance providers like to push victims around more than others do.

Working with State Farm after an Accident

It is important to remember that insurance companies are businesses. Just like other businesses, they want to make money. Because of this, they will do everything they can to pay you as little money as possible.

One of the most common tactics used by insurance companies is requesting that you sign their medical authorization form, so they can collect the accident related medical records and bills for you. Don’t ever let them do this! It sounds like a nice gesture, and it will save you time, but it is not in your best interest.

Our Client’s Story Explains Why You Should Never Sign an Insurance Adjuster’s Medical Authorization

Jeremy was riding his bike on the shoulder of the road, when an inattentive driver swerved into the bike lane, hitting Jeremy and running him off the road. The driver fled the scene of the accident and couldn’t be found, so Jeremy had to make an Uninsured Motorist Claim under his State Farm car insurance policy. Jeremy didn’t think he needed to hire an attorney, since the claim was with his own insurance company and the State Farm adjuster seemed so nice on the phone.

The insurance adjuster asked Jeremy to sign an Authorization for Release of Medical Information so State Farm could collect his medical records and bills and then make him a settlement offer. This sounded like a nice gesture – State Farm would get his medical records and bills at their expense – but it wasn’t in his best interest. Once the insurance company receives a signed Authorization, they will collect accident related medical records, and they will also request prior, non-accident related medical records in an effort to argue that some of your injuries and symptoms were pre-existing and not related to the accident.

After collecting medical records and bills for Jeremy’s case, the adjuster told him that his medical bills totaled $7,000 and offered Jeremy $10,000 to settle his claim.

Fortunately, Jeremy contacted our office. We agreed to take his case and then we requested every record and bill from his doctors. The medical bills totaled $17,587.00 and not the $7,000 that the adjuster told Jeremy about. State Farm still wouldn’t offer more than $10,000 after we told them about the new medical bills, so we took the case to arbitration. The arbitration panel awarded Jeremy more than $56,000. This was after State Farm told Jeremy that his claim was only worth $10,000.

Dealing with an insurance company can be difficult and confusing. Too often, accident victims give in to their efforts. The attorneys at Christensen & Hymas can represent your rights and needs in a claim against State Farm Insurance. Contact us today for a free consultation about your insurance claim.